Tentering-machine.



PATENTED .TUNE 28, 1904 A. MoLEAN. TBNTERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0QT.28. 1903.

.i rra/mfr.

UNITED STATES Patented June 28, 1904.

ANDREV MCLEAN, OF PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

TENTEFlNG-NIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,416, dated June 28, 1904.

I Application filed October 28, 1903. Serial No. 178,824. (No model.)

To all whom zit may concern..-

Be it known that I, ANDREW MGLEAN, of Passaic, county. of Passaic, and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in rIentering-Machines, of which the following is a specification. j

My invention has reference to tenteringmachines; and it consists of certain improvements, which are fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a tentering-machine of any of the usual types with an auxiliary adjustment for one of the chain of clamps, whereby it is moved laterally under spring action to compensate for variation in the width of the fabric passing through the machine. In this manner ample stretching action is secured and at the same time no undue or destructive stretching is permitted.

The invention is more particularly an improvement upon the structure set. out in my application, Serial No. 164,931, filed July l0, 1903, and is especially designed to reduce the friction incident to the movement of the adjustable parts. j

In carrying out my invention Iprovide the longitudinal frames which carry the chains of clamps with the usual devices for supporting them and obtaining, if desired, the reciprocating movements to the frames or to the chains and combine therewith pivoted arms or parts for permitting the adjustment of the frames and chains of clamps to and from each other to suit fabrics of different widths, the said devices being so constructed that one of the chains and its support shall have capacity of lateral automatic adjustment under spring action for causing automatic movement relative to the supports to compensate for places in the length of the fabric which have greater or less width than the normal width.

More specifically, the present improvement consists in providing' the adjustable frame with arms which are pivoted to laterally-adjustable carriages carried by the supports, whereby all excessive friction and binding of the longitudinal frames upon the supports is obviated and undue strain upon the cloth prevented.

My invention also comprehends details of construction which, together with the abovementioned features, will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a cross-section of a tenter-ingmachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of a portion of same with the support and adjustingescrew in section. Fig. 3 is a section of same on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4L is a cross-section on line 44 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the carriages.

A and A are the two longitudinal reciprocating chain-carrying frames. These frames are pivoted upon the transverse supportingframes B, which are usually respectively pivoted to stationary standards at Z). One of these frames, A', is composed of two parts, the inner one, A2, being laterally and automatically adjustable relatively to the outer frame A3. The frames A and A3 are pivoted at /L upon carriages H, .which are guided upon the supporting-frames B. These frames B are provided with adjusting screw-shafts J, having right and left hand screw-threads, respectively, upon each side of the central or pivot points ZJ, and said screw-shafts work in the carriages H, so as to move them toward or from each other for relatively adjusting the frames A A3. The adjusting-screws J are adapted to be rotated by hand-Wheels J or by any other means customary in machines of this class.

The automatically-adjustable part A2 of the frame A is pivoted upon vertical axes at g to the supports G, which are provided with downwardly-extending arms G, pivoted at the bottom on transverse pivots L, carried by the arms O of the carriage structure C, which are guided upon the frames B. These carriages C are supported upon the frame B, resting upon the upper surfaces thereof and extending over the lateral flanges Bl of the said frames B, whereby they are kept from being tilted under the tension of the stretched fabric. In this way the frame A2 and its support G are free to move laterally about pivots L, and thereby eliminate all undesirable friction. The screw-shaft J passes through the support G, but the clearance is sufficient to permit the rocking of said support about pivot L without touching' the screw-shaft. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) The carriage C is iitted with a sleeve I, having an internal screwthread adapted to the threaded shaft J. This sleeve is held against rotation in the carriage by a set-screw At the other end the sleeve is provided with a collar l, between which and the support G is arranged a coiled spring K. This spring surrounds the sleeve and operates to normally hold the frame A2 toward the frame A3, if not otherwise prevented by the tension of the cloth. Vhen the machine is in operation, the cloth holds the carriagesupport G iirmly against the spring K, and hence the frame A2 is at all times adjustably sustained, so as to automatically compensate for variations in the width of the fabric. At the same time that this frame A2 has this automatic capacity for adjustment it is under proper hand-adjustment control produced by turning the screw J in the sleeve I. This hand adjustment keeps the parts A2 A3 of the frame A in proper correlation and adjusts them to and from the other frame, A, as a unit.

The longitudinal frames A A may be fixed or reciprocated, as desired. They carry chains F, having the cloth-clamps f of the usual constructions or any other means for holding the fabric. These chains are guided in guides T on the frames. In the case where the frames A A reciprocate longitudinally the supporting-frames B oscillate on the pivots but where they are stationary and the chains impart the lateral movement to the fabric then the frames B may remain fixed. These differences are merely those incident to the type of machine employing my invention, and hence I do not restrict myself in any manner in this regard. It will not be necessary to describe these parts more in detail, as no claim is made upon them, and various means for securing this motion are old and well known to those skilled in the art of treating textile fabrics on tentering-machines.

The important feature of my invention lies in the employment of two supports for the chains of clamps having hand adjustment and also automatic adjustment relatively to and from each other by such means as herein set out, the former to meet the normal requirements of the width of the cloth and the latter to meet the abnormal requirements and prevent both looseness in the fabric and abnormal stretching of the same during the normal operation of the machine when giving a diagonal and lateral stretching to the said fabric.

Vhile I have found the construction illustrated excellently adapted to the purposes of my invention, I do not coniine myself to the details, as they may be modified or varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. y

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tentering-machine, the combination of two longitudinal chain-carrying frames, chains carried by said frames and provided with means for holding the fabric, an adjust- 'ing screw-shaft arranged transversely to the frame, a carriage supporting one of the frames and connected with the screws so as to be adjusted thereby, a sleeve screwed upon the opposite ends of the screw-shaft and acting as a nut, a second carriage secured to the sleeve, a support pivoted to the second carriage and supporting the other of the longitudinal frames, and spring devices intermediate of the sleeve and support, whereby the two chains and their carrying-frames are spring-pressed away from each other to keep the fabric at all times under tension.

2. In a tentering-'machina the combination of two longitudinal chain-carrying frames, chains carried by said frames and provided with means for holding the fabric, an adjusting screw-shaft arranged transversely to the frame, a carriage supporting one of the frames and positively connected with the screw so as to be adjusted thereby, a sleeve screwed upon the opposite end of the screw-shaft and acting as a nut, a second carriage secured to the sleeve, a support pivoted to the second carriage and supporting the other of the longitudinal frames and fitting loosely around the sleeves so as to move longitudinally relatively thereto, and spring devices intermediate of the sleeve and support and surrounding the sleeve whereby the two chains and their carrying-frames are spring-pressed away from each other to keep the fabric at all times under tension.

3. In a tentering-maehine, the combination of two longitudinal frames one of which is formed with an independent movable part, chains carried by the frames and provided with means for holding the selvages of the cloth, a transverse screw-shaft pivoted intermediate of the longitudinal frames, carriages secured to each of the longitudinal frames and working on the screw-shaft as nuts, a sleeve working on the screw-shaft as a nut, a pivoted support adjustable relatively to the sleeve in the direction of the screw-shaft and supporting the independent movable part of one of the longitudinal frames, means for holding the pivot of the support iixed with reference to the sleeve, and spring devices between the sleeve and the support for forcing the movable part of one of the longitudinal frames away from the other longitudinal frame.

4i. In a tentering-machine, a longitudinal frame for carrying the cloth-stretching chain, a pivoted supporting-frame secured thereto to IIO support it, a carriage, a transverse frame upon which the carriage is supported and guided, means connecting the pivoted supportingframe with the carriage, a transverse adjusting screw-shaft, a sleeve screwed upon said shaft and acting as a nut thereto, said sleeve extending through the supporting-frame and secured to the carriage and held against turning therein, and a spring surrounding the sleeve and pressing against the supporting pivoted frame to move it over the sleeve.

5. In a tentering-machine, the combination of two longitudinal frames one of which is provided with a laterally-adjustable part, means carried by the frames to hold the cloth, means for holding the two frames together in fixed relation,and pivoted spring-operated supporting devices for automatically moving the laterallyadjustable part of the longitudinal frame for keeping the cloth under tension and compensating for irregularities in the width of the fabric.

6. In a tentering-rnachine, thev combination of two longitudinal frames one of which is pro- `set my hand.

ANDREW MCLEAN.

Witnesses:

T. A. WILLIAMS, JAMES M. STRACHAN. 

